http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Kenya , Rift Valley Province , Samburu NR en-us Wed, 09 Dec 09 08:31:00 +0000 Wed, 09 Dec 09 08:31:00 +0000 We started out on our great safari trip at 5AM Saturday. Since the word got out that we were going to Nairobi we had enough people who wanted to come along that we could filed up about ten vehicles. She had a definite priority list 1st sick people and relatives to care for them 2nd government officials and dispensary staff 3rd church members 4th other townspeople.As it turned out Gloria http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-378224.html We started the day with a visit to the local primary school. We had met Emanuel the Headmaster a couple of days earlier and arranged to visit the school on this day. As we arrived there was a mob scene of youngsters touching us trying to greet us wanting to shake our hands and generally just being kids. Emanuel showed us around the classrooms by this time filled with orderly children and ex http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-378221.html The past two days have been pretty uneventful during the day but the evenings have been fun. Daytime activities for Cheryl have included organizing the boxes in Gloriarsquos office since they moved her into it without much thought as to what goes where. She did the same with her spare bedroom which had become the dispensary de facto storage area. She also made up nearly two dozen Maternity kits http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-378220.html On Tuesday 17 February we were privileged to accompany a team of healthcare workers from Arsim Dispensary to two nearby villages Sidai and Rosso. All week long teams are providing medicine to people to help them combat and eradicate this disease.Sidai is the first site that Cheryl and I visited with the team. Here are some photos of the Sidai Clinic the Sidai Waiting Room and the Parking Lot. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-377544.html Considering that we are a hundred miles from the nearest wide spot in the road I think the technology here is pretty nifty. First letrsquos start with the basics water and sewer. Water comes from mountain springs or wells and is collected in a concrete reservoir just uphill from the dispensary. You might call it the water tower but itrsquos not a tower so you probably shouldnrsquot. It http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-377349.html Sunday morning is church service. It is a very spirited and spiritfilled session indeed. The men all sit on one side of the church and the women on the other. They sing together worship together and praise together. They just donrsquot sit together. When the service is over they all file out men first and they congregate on the side of the chapel that they sit on only outside. There doesnrs http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-376986.html The Dispensary here at Arsim services virtually all of northwestern Kenya with medical needs. Our friend Gloria is living and working here under the joint auspices of the Government of Kenya Ministry of Health ELCK Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya and WMPL World Mission Prayer League. There are probably a couple of other acronyms to contend with but I forget.We are spending a second http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-375059.html As it turned out the doors to the MAF hanger opened at 700 so we could weigh ourselves our luggage obtain our tickets and get trucked out to the plane and load up. We flew a Cessna Caravan a 12seat single prop plane about an hour and a half to Korr a town with a landing strip a bit over 60 kilometers approximately 40 miles to Arsim where our missionary friend Gloria Sauck lives and works http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-373535.html Gloria finally arrived home about 1 AM from her meetings in Baragoi a town 3 hours away by vehicle. Naturally we didnrsquot see her until the morning.It seems that government bureaucracies are no different wherever you go. The Kenyan Ministry of Health has started a push to vaccinate people all over the country against Trachoma a disease of the eye. Irsquoll talk more about that later.In http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-367552.html Arrived in the outskirts of Nairobi staying at Karen Camp in Karen in the suburbs. Met Gary and Aussie Craig 2 of the 3 additions here in Nairobi from the African Trails truck. Went to town to post the souvenir things we bought along the way it was very staright forward and we do not have to go to the city Karen has a post office The camp is alright a bit out of town but chilled and they hav http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-298404.html I anxiously gazed upwards as the long patterned neck slowly lowered to where I stood. The giraffe hesitated its angular head and large luscious eyes stared at me with interest. Ever so slowly the giraffe8217s lips parted and a thick bluish tongue of devilish proportions emerged. The small group of Japanese tourists near me audibly reacted to this event and though a part of me wanted to qu http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-295840.html After 5 weeks in Ethiopia we finllay changed countries again and crossed the border into Kenya. As most people are aware Kenya has been hurt by post election violence over the past several months. Up until a week ago we didn't even know if we'd be able to travel to Kenya. As things stand now the violence has calmed down and there are onging negotiations towards a power sharing agreement betwe http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-255356.html After our game drives in Samburu National Reserve we spent the night camping at a Samburu village. The Samburu Tribe is related to the Masai and like the Masai they live off their animals only. They don't grow vegetables and they strictly eat meat and drink the milk and blood from the animals. After our experiences with tribes in Ethiopia we were reluctant to visit another village and have ano http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-255354.html HiyaWe have just returned to Nairobi and to the Boulevard for 1 night until tomorrow morning when we head to Tanzania for the second leg of our holiday.The last few days have been spent at the base of Mt Kenya at the Mountain Rock Lodge and then at Samburu in Northern Kenya. At Mountain Rock we camped for one night and then had a day relaxing and undertaking any of the activities provided. Brooke http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-242031.html And I'm back There are just too many wonderful pictures and stories that we want to share with you and one blog entry just doesn't do it As much as it can be overwhelming to stay up to date sending these to you I know it is also overwhelming for you to keep current with us But isn't it just a ton of fun We are having the time of our lives and technology enables us to share i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-223458.html Hi everyoneWell we've had a very full day here in Luxor Egypt And it was a HOT and sunny one too But more on that later.For now I know there are many of the young blog fans who have been waiting to see the animals of Africa. What an amazing time we had The Samburu area is much different than that of the Masi Mara where we were last year. The landscape is much different and therefore http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-222882.html Out of Africa what else would we call itNov 22 to Nov 25lsquoJamborsquo Hello in Swahili from Darkest Africa. No internet service for the last 3 days hence the silence.We leave Dubai on a pleasant flight with the our crew dressed in mideast headwear. By the way did we say how much we love our planeWe enjoyed an exciting inflight event. At exactly 438 p.m. our pilot announced http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-222881.html Departure From Dubai Arrival in NairobiAll near us celebrate this first visit to the ldquocity over the toprdquo but few are eager to return hellip perhaps when Dubai World emulating all Disney destinations worldwide is complete wersquoll reconsider hellip A short bus ride to the private jetway at the international airport a delightfully quick five hour flight Doug still canrsqu http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-222641.html The young brightly coloured morans crowded round as I showed them my digital photos and videos that I had taken of their dancing. They excitedly laughed and were amazed at seeing their pictures. Although I felt that the Samburu lsquocultural showrsquo was too staged and far removed from the gentle acceptance that Karen and I had received at the Maasai manyata a few weeks earlier the appreciati http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-198348.html Day 4 continued Samburu It was back on the road again this time to check out the Samburu people. I donrsquot remember being told that it would cost us 20 to see the Samburu sing and dance. I thought it was shitty that we had to pay to visit a village but these people live so remote how else are they gonna make money. Mind you my ass was traveling broke and the only money I had on me was http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Samburu-NR/blog-160923.html